Iran and US remain far from deal, senior Iranian official says

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran and the US are far from an agreement, despite Qatari mediation. Iran's parliament speaker said Tehran has responded and the ball is in the US court. President Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Khamenei authorized the government to advance talks.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters today (Tuesday) that Iran and the United States are still far from an agreement to end the war, amid Qatar's mediation efforts and concerns about renewed fighting after the US midterm elections. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Tehran has sent a response to Washington, and now the responsibility to prevent war lies with the Americans. "We gave the American side a firm and logical response, and now the ball is in the Americans' court—to prevent war," Ghalibaf said in a parliament session. He claimed that Iranian forces are at maximum defensive readiness and threatened that Iran's response to a miscalculation by Washington would be unpredictable and without geographical limits. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said yesterday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei granted the government authority to advance talks. A round of talks between Iranian representatives and Qatari mediators ended without a breakthrough. The Iranian framework, presented in September and rejected by Trump, includes ending the American blockade of Iranian ports, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, easing Iranian oil sales, and canceling new sanctions. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported concerns in Gulf states that Iran could make a new round of fighting more destructive in the region.